There is something mystical about the way Amritha Thankachy’s voice moves between styles. She seamlessly transitions from Indian classical melodies to Western classical and contemporary styles, and creates a fresh sound while she’s at it.
The London-based singer and composer is now touring India with Kadha, a musical project built around her original songs and the stories behind them.
Amritha is trained in Carnatic music, has explored Western classical music and opera at A R Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory, and studied at Trinity Laban in London. Her latest single, ‘Golden Boat’, has also been making waves.
In a conversation with TNIE, Amritha talks about finding her own voice, her early years in music and the making of Kadha.
You started learning music at six, under Kaithapram. Do you remember those days?
My father introduced me to Kaithapram sir in Chennai. He probably dreamt of me becoming an artist before I did. We follow a tradition where one is introduced to classical music by a renowned person; that’s how Kaithapram sir taught me a few lessons.
But looking back, what I remember is my father’s love for music and his wish to make me pursue it.
You performed with S P Balasubrahmanyam when you were in Class 11. How was that experience?
I have very fond memories of it. It was for a charity concert, and I had been sent a list of songs to prepare. There were classics like ‘Manguyile Poonguyile’, ‘Malare Mounama’ and ‘Nadiyil Aadum Poovanam’. I practised those songs almost every day before the concert.
He was extremely warm and down-to-earth. Backstage, he asked me, ‘Amritha, do you have butterflies in your stomach?’ I said yes. He then said, ‘Because I have a bigger tummy, I have more butterflies than you,’ and laughed. He taught me it was okay to be nervous and gave me confidence.
Then, during the performance, he sang the wrong lyrics. He stopped and announced there had been a mistake on his side, and that we would start again. There was no need for a legendary singer like him to take on that responsibility. It is one of those moments that makes you admire him even more.
What brought you to independent music?
It came from an urge to share what’s on my mind. There is this need to tell someone something. It is like taking a journey with my inner child. And in this journey, you discover corners within yourself you never knew existed. I have been able to tap into those places and create songs that are personal. In that sense, ‘Adhu Nane’ is an important track. Arjun Sreekumar wrote the lyrics, and it was inspired by a story from my life.
A lot of your music uses poetry from the likes of Subramania Bharati, Faiz, and Tagore. What draws you to them?
I am drawn to the emotions in these poems and how they express feelings that we often struggle to put into words. Bharati, Tagore and Faiz have all captured intense emotions so beautifully. As an artist, I have always been drawn to that. The lyrical value and potential these poems hold make it very difficult for me not to turn them into songs.
Your latest single, ‘Golden Boat’, inspired by Tagore’s ‘Sonar Tori’, has been receiving attention. How did the song come about?
‘Sonar Tori’ has been on my mind since around 2019 or 2020. I initially thought I would make the song entirely in Bengali because the poem itself is musical. But over time, I decided to write my own English lyrics while retaining some of Tagore’s original lines.
The lyrics, tune and backing vocals were ready, and I also recorded the sitar and ghatam. But something was still missing. Nithin Muralikrishna worked on the production and took the song to another level. I used to joke that it had finally got its “protein intake” right.
Your music has Tamil, Hindi, Bengali and other influences, but not much from Malayalam…
I have two Malayalam songs lined up. For a long time, I didn’t feel that call to create a Malayalam song. About a year ago, these tunes just appeared in my mind, and I knew I had to do them in Malayalam. I’m excited to bring them to the audience.
You are currently touring India with Kadha. What is the idea behind the project?
We started working on Kadha in March this year. Each song in Kadha has a story behind it. The idea is not just to perform songs, but also to share the stories behind them. A little context about where a song comes from can make the listening experience more meaningful. You may be able to connect it with your own story.